


Last Dance

by joongsprout



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, I am so sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, One Shot, Sad but soft, mention of weight loss (unrelated to eating disorders), the other members are only mentioned, this is sad just a warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joongsprout/pseuds/joongsprout
Summary: Chan is glad Felix is with him, here, at the end of all things.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Last Dance

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting on ao3 so I hope you enjoy reading <3

Deep in the heart of the city, the dead roamed, directionless and without purpose. Their gait was labored, dragging decayed feet across broken concrete in a place now left to ruin. Looking back, it’s funny how quickly everything collapsed. How quickly one's moral compass corroded and withered away at the first sight of apocalypse. You’d figure that the military would be able to handle a few reanimated corpses, and they would have, had it not been for the riots. The world's end was owed to the anarchy and society’s pillars had all but crumbled leaving only remnants of mankind.

Somewhere, trapped in a little townhouse by the bay, two of these remnants hid, surrounded by an ever-growing hoard. A brief moment of misfortune is what led them there in the first place, tailed by only a small group of zombies. But more were drawn to the sound of their brethren like a pack of wolves, the numbers growing quicker than could be dealt with. It wasn’t too big of a hoard - less than a hundred - but more than the two of them could handle alone.

Chan peaked through one of the windows as a heavy weight settled on his soul. Their glazed eyes stared back, lifeless and hungry, held back only by wooden walls. He had long since accepted the fact that they would die here, unable to counter them. 

“Have you checked the attic yet?”

Felix had not.

“Nope, I didn’t even know this place had an attic” The lie slid off Chan's tongue with ease. Whether it be hope or denial, some fire was lit in Felix, leaving him determined to find a way out. Chan couldn’t stand to watch that fire fade out so instead he fed it, delaying the inevitable.

“I’ll go check, then! Maybe there's a window or something we could climb out of. I think the house to our right is close enough to jump to.” Felix ran upstairs, feet pounding against the floor, enticing the zombies to grow louder.

Chan already checked the attic when they first got here a few minutes prior, while Felix was boarding up downstairs. Two of the windows were barred up completely by whoever inhabited this house before, and the third faced north, towards the street. Any feasible way out was just a convoluted death wish. They were trapped. 

_No way out, no way out, no way out._

The door creaked, the weight of bodies against it becoming too much. Soon it would break and they’d come spilling in. Time and time again Chan bared witness to unfortunate souls being swooped up in masses of walking dead. They seemed to move quicker when grouped together, prey sense tipping into overdrive.

_Delaying the inevitable._

Felix came back down and huffed, leaning over the railings. “Nothing up there, everything was sealed shut. There's no use without a crowbar or something. it's just another dead end.”

“Not necessarily. We could hide there if the zombies manage to break in.” Chan suggested. If anything, it was their only real chance at survival. Hiding out until they are rescued or until the zombies grow tired of trying.

Or they’d just starve to death.

“I don’t want to think about that.” Felix shook his head rapidly. The worst-case scenario happened to be the most likely and it loomed over their heads like an angel of death. Better to let your mind go elsewhere. “The others. . . I hope they’re okay”

“We only got separated a few streets down from here. I think most of these fuckers are focused on us; It’s not like we’ve been quiet, so try not to worry.” It started this morning when Jeongin found a map of the city. Previously owned by another survivor, it had vantage points marked all throughout and potential areas good for scavenging. With supplies running low their safest option was to leave the city entirely, but it couldn’t hurt to make a few stops first, right?

A bullet misfire. That’s all it took to bring the dead down on top of them, crawling out of every alleyway and street. At the time Chan and Felix were further away from the group, scouting ahead to make certain it was safe to pass through. When the bullet fired, the sound ricocheted off the walls echoing so loudly it made their ears ring. 

Panic set in pretty quick. 

They’d agreed to go silently, so _why_ did someone feel the need to shoot?

The alleyway between the two groups began to fill with the undead, a sea too treacherous to cross. In his infinite wisdom, Chan had told Felix to try and find some way back to their friends. That would’ve left Chan to fire a few shots as a distraction to lead them away. A plan he’d used before that always worked wonders.

But Felix refused.

 _“I can’t just leave you.”_ Stubborn bastard. Another fearful gunshot sounded off, this time courtesy of Felix when a zombie tried to grapple onto him. The remainder of the hoard slowly turned their attention towards the new interesting noise. Like moths to a flame. So Chan and Felix, seeing no other option for themselves, ran. Through a side street down to a little collection of houses, into the only fence that would open.

And the dead followed like they always do.

Chan didn’t know who had fired the first shot, or why, but if they were still together he would punch them. Even the smallest mistake can prove deadly and that one might have cost them their lives.

“But what if. . .” Felix looked towards the front door, which stood further down the hall with hard-wood furniture pushed in front and began to shake. “What if there's more after them?”

Reassurance didn’t come easily in times like this. Uncertainty and fear ruled over critical thought and Chan's head was swarming with worries. What if the kids are in danger, and he isn't there to help them? Do they have enough bullets? Did they get separated from each other? He was very good at flat-out ignoring these thoughts. Maybe it was the leader in him talking, but Chan couldn’t have fears of his own, not when the people he cared about were scared enough as is. He had to push them aside for the time being, for Felix's sake.

“No what-ifs, Felix. They’re smart. Bet they’ve already figured out some way to lose any that didn’t follow us.”

“You are giving them way too much credit.” Felix let out a small laugh. “Jisung and Minho wouldn’t have survived this long without us, not to mention everyone else. They aren’t _that_ smart. Just lucky.”

“Good point.”

Like the eye of a storm passing overhead, they were interrupted by the front door breaking. The hinges already were weak from water damage and rot, a detail noticed when they arrived, and now what's left of the door barely did any good. If it weren't for the furniture pushed in front, they would already be inside.

Felix flinched back and screamed, terror alight in his face. 

_Shit._

A beat of stillness, then two, anxiously awaiting their verdict. The wood creaked uneasily and then settled, one particularly feisty zombie reaching through a crack in the door. For now, they were still safe. Still, it was too close for comfort. A writhing mass of undead only a few feet away, begging to be let in. If Chan wasn’t already desensitized to the smell, he would’ve vomited. 

“We’re going to die here, aren’t we?”

Chan turned back and caught his breath. Felix's eyes glistened with tears, a white knuckle grip on the railings as he slid down to the floor. Unblinking, shaking so violently he looked to be on the brink of collapse. “We’re going to fucking die here.”

“No, sunshine.” Chan kneeled by his side and brushed fingers across his face, across tear-stained freckles that shone like a rainy night sky. “We’ve gotten out of worse situations before. Remember a few months back, at the facility? This is nothing in comparison.”

“That- That was different. We were _together_ then, but now- I don’t know where anyone is and I’m _scared_ and-” His breathing became more uneven and he stopped talking altogether, staring ahead in silent horror.

He was right, and Chan hated that. He hated how it only took a few minutes for everything to go to shit. He hated how Felix refused to go find the others, getting himself caught up in whatever layer of hell this was. Fate has a funny fucking sense of humor and it isn’t fair.

The faces of his friends flashed through his mind, one by one.

_Minho._

_Changbin._

_Hyunjin._

_Jisung._

_Seungmin._

_Jeongin._

If they were together, things would be different, wouldn’t they? They could manage to get out, to survive, like they always do. Chan could only do so much on his own. Without them. . .

Nothing.

_I’m nothing without them._

Chan knows there’s no such thing as happy endings here. You live until you die by the hands of otherworldly monsters and sometimes if you squint your eyes, there will be a familiar face among them. A friend or family member rotted nearly beyond recognition. Glass eyes devoid of all color, a shell of who they used to be.

That would’ve been enough to break anyone of their hope, surely. Rid them of belief and strip them of their faith till they lay bare in a godless world. But Chan didn’t find hope in false idols or misplaced trust. It wasn’t an emotion or a feeling that could be described in words.

For Chan, hope was found in a young boy named Lee Felix, whose heart was so pure it outshined the morning sun. Whose laugh sounded like a melody, one that wrapped around your soul better than any hug ever could.

Hope was a boy named Lee Felix. And now, hidden away from the sun, hope slowly faded. It wouldn’t be long before it went out entirely, extinguishing the only good thing left in a world full of bad.

Chan would be damned if he let that happen. There were times to die and there were places to die. When your life runs its course, and everything becomes withered and grey, you want to pass away in the presence of loved ones or under a bed of stars. This fucking poor excuse for a house was neither the time nor the place to die.

Not yet. Not like this.

It didn’t matter how right Felix may be. They were going to die here, that was certain, but Chan was going to do everything in his power to postpone it. To hold onto life as tightly as he could.

_There isn’t much more I can do._

Chan pulled Felix into his arms and rocked slightly, attempting to soothe him. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. I’m right here and you will be alright. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. We just need to wait for the others to find us.” 

Felix didn’t respond, curling further into Chan and covering his ears as the zombies got louder. With the door being in splinters they could see inside now and it made them that much more determined to get past its shoddy defenses.

_Only a matter of time._

“They’ll be getting in soon so we need to go upstairs. If you don’t get up I’m going to have to carry you, okay?”

Still no response. Chan's heart shattered at the sight of Felix. It had to be dissociation or shock or even both, plunging him into a headspace where he couldn’t think rationally. Shutting down completely.

 _I wish I had that option,_ Chan thought, swooping Felix into his arms. It was only now, carrying him up the stairs, that he noticed how frail Felix is. Months of low rations will do that to you, turning your bones as delicate as porcelain. Brittle and able to be shattered with just one touch. If they did survive this - and that’s a very big if - Chan swore to himself he’d get them at least one good meal, something warm and homey. They didn’t deserve to go hungry.

_They all deserve so much better than this._

“We should put a warning label on you. ‘Fragile, handle with care.’” Chan laughed to himself, pushing his way into the room closest to the attic. They couldn’t get up the ladder if Felix refused to walk, so it would be wise to stay close. 

“I am not fragile- _ow.”_ Felix hit the ground with a thud. He rolled onto his side and groaned dramatically. “You didn’t have to drop me, asshole.”

“Easier than setting you down,” Chan said, sitting next to Felix. If annoyance was what it took to distract Felix, then so it shall be. 

“I thought you said to handle me with care?”

“You were dropped in a careful way!”

Felix rubbed at his eyes and made no rebuttal. His frame was still shaking, way more than Chan felt comfortable with. It’s disheartening how even when trying to talk Felix ended up back to how he was moments before, frozen in fear, helpless like a dog in a cage. Chan would give anything to see him smile.

“Does your gun have any ammo left?” Felix asked suddenly. His voice ached with desperation, like one last cry for help. Grasping at straws for any semblance of a plan. 

“. . .Ran out on the way here.”

Another lie. The pistol hung at Chan’s waistband, heavy with the weight of one bullet. Only one, not enough to stop the hoard but enough to stop a heartbeat. He’d already considered it once - better to die quickly than be ripped apart. But If only one of them was to go by the undead's hands, Chan refused to let it be Felix. Never in a million years. Pulling that trigger was unthinkable and out of the question.

Softly, Felix brought his knees up to his chest and let out a small sob. “Hopeless, it's all so hopeless. I don’t want to die here, I cant- I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the others.”

Chan reached out and rubbed circles on Felix's back. He couldn’t say anything more to comfort, words had long since lost their meaning. They would just pass in one ear and out the other. His being there was comfort enough.

When you love someone, the closer you grow to them, the more similar you’ll become. You’ll adopt their mannerisms and their way of thinking. Every thought that graced Chan's mind was voiced by Felix, every emotion Chan buried Felix expressed. There were soulmates, after all. Bound together by something unexplainable. 

It was bittersweet. Tragically melancholy the way it took all of this for Chan to notice. A connection that once existed in his peripheral vision brought to light in the worst circumstance. If only he had realized sooner, maybe he could have mentioned it, maybe he could have. . .

_If I wasn’t so oblivious-_

What does it matter? Too late to reminisce on the past or what might have been. The present took precedence. A life or death situation left them dangling over the devil's maw and to look into the past would leave them blind. Cloud your judgment, give yourself over to death or fight against it.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.

But which one to take?

Would it even make a difference, or did they just lead to the same ending? 

Chan was acutely aware of the door downstairs, it’s groaning in protest. They were running out of time. Any minute now, they’d have to hide away deeper in the house and wait for people who may never find them. Things would be worse then, death crawling right underneath their feet. Running on the bare minimum of food and even less sleep, adrenaline and fear alone keeping them awake. There were better ways to die than this. 

Chan wouldn't let them go down like that.

“Give me your hand, Felix.” Distraction is the best medicine. Well. . maybe not the best, but it was all Chan had right now. A single pawn left unplayed. Felix reluctantly accepted and let Chan pull him to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot from crying, and still, choked-back sobs wracked his body. “Dance with me.”

“Chan. . .” Felix sniffled. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not!” Despite everything, Felix still managed a little smile in amusement. He laid his head on Chan's shoulder and sighed. “Nothing crazy, just sway with me for a moment.”

There’s no better way to spend your last day than in the warming embrace of someone you love. Desolation so serene it makes everything more bearable. Like the last golden rays of sunset before setting below the ocean. It makes way for darkness but it isn’t scary, it’s beautiful. You don’t spend that time worrying about the night. You bask in the glow, admiring the tranquility before it’s gone.

_I can tolerate the end of the world if I’m with you._

Chan started to hum quietly, and that hum grew into words. How long had it been since he’d sung? It felt like a century. Music soothed every ailment and cured every wound, but scarcely could be heard anymore. When you spend most of your time running from danger the art of music gets left behind to gather dust. Not gone, just missing. Right out of reach.

It felt nice to sing again. Maybe he should’ve done it more often.

 _“When this world is no more, the moon is all we'll see.”_ Songs transcended language and spoken prose. And singing. . . It felt like home. It was the only thing that felt like home to Chan, other than his friends. The only thing that the dead couldn’t take away. True freedom could be found scribbled in the lines of Chan’s old notepad, lyrics to a song we’ll never hear. A symphony forever unfinished. 

_“I'll ask you to fly away with me.”_ Felix had tried to sing along and his voice broke, worn from sobbing. He was so faint, verging on inaudible. Only if you listened closely could you hear him, a sound as sweet as honey. 

_“Until the stars all fall down, they empty from the sky, but I don't mind”_

Downstairs, a loud crack echoed and Felix’s scream was muffled into Chan's chest. Are they in already? It didn’t sound like they were but Chan's heart rate jumped at the thought. On the outside, he tried to keep calm and finish the song for Felix. On the inside, screaming and profanities. Every curse word ever invented jumped into his head in bold letters. Had he been alone he would’ve screamed them out. Felix’s trembling form came as a reminder that he wasn’t.

_“If you're with me, then everything's alright”_

Felix gripped the back of Chan’s shirt and mumbled something under his breath, unable to be heard. Then he took a shaky breath and repeated himself. “Don’t leave me. Please, _please_ don’t leave me.”

“Wh- I would never.” Preposterous for him to even entertain the thought. In no universe would Chan ever willingly leave his side. “You’re stuck with me, honestly.”

“Promise?”

There it was, one little word that held so much power. Promises are as lovely as they are tragic; gorgeous in theory but devastating in practice. Especially in times like these, when the future is bleak and uncertain. You cannot afford to make them lest they be broken. 

The guilt of not keeping a promise is a heavy cross to bear, and Chan would carry it all if that’s what it took to protect those he loved.

Some things are made to be broken.

“I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> The song Chan sings at the end is "Everythings Alright' by Laura Shigihara .  
> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this !! Any comments and kudos would mean the world to me as I love hearing feedback about my work <3 My twitter is [enbyhanji](https://twitter.com/enbyhanji) if you wanna be mutuals or contact me !!


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